Cultural Border: American Indian Communities Across the US-Canadian Border
Introduction:
First, symbolic or cultural borders or spatial divides cut across and between communities here in deep Ohio, thereby creating cultural borderlands, or as Campbell and Kean put it (1995:221), “Boundaries can be real, physical forces, but also used to represent a wider range of psychological or social determinants that shape and construct youth [and others] within the larger cultural framework.” Second, one could argue that Mexican immigrants to Kennett Square (or Butler county), figurative and literally, remain in a cultural borderland (or “south of the border”). In Kennett Square, they are partly integrated into the mushroom and consumer economy; people buy homes in the US while continuing to build homes in back home. They are also resented and excluded by the majority Anglo population (Lattanzi Shutika 2011).
Third, many remain spatially and culturally divided from the dominant population.
Instructions
For this ethnography assignment I would like you to do the following:
Ethnographic Description: Find what you think as a significant cultural border(land), visit it, observe social interactions and avoidance, and describe this area as best you can. [Make sure you know the difference between “border” a physical or metaphorical line and “borderland,” the larger “space” created by borders.
Analysis 1: What are the key things that you observe and how can you make sense of them? How can you try to explain what is going on “culturally”? Be sure to discuss and analyze the “border” or “borderland” you have visited and observed.
Analysis 2: Relate what you have observed back to course readings. How do these books and articles help you to think about the space you have visited and observed?
Reflection: You can get more personal here. What do you think of all of this? How did you feel while visiting and thinking about this heterogeneous culture space? What does this exercise teach you about cultural diversity in the US? How can you think about this anthropologically?
I’ll look for well-written papers that clearly address all for sections. Good, vivid description, incisive analysis, good use of readings with proper citation, and “signs of struggle” in your reflection as you grapple with tough issues.
I will send the rubrics and instruction as forms of the photo.
At the analysis 2 part, the reading that we currently covered is "I am not your perfect Mexican daughter" and "Breath, Eyes, Memory" by Edwidge Danticat. Just some idea that match the concept is fine.
Thank You.
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Cultural Borders
Analysis 1
One significant cultural border(land) issue relates to the American Indian communities situated across the US-Canadian border. Long before the colonization of North America, the Tuscarora Nation (a Native American tribe that originally occupied parts of North Carolina but moved north and partially into Canada) passed freely across their land. However, the coming of the European settlers and the subsequent forming of American and Canadian governments resulted in the setting up of a border to separate the two jurisdictions. The Tuscarora Nation was one of the many Native American tribes affected by the institution of the US-Canadian border: the border cut through the tribe and separated entire families. American history, both past and present, consists of border nations like the Tuscarora Nation. When the white colonizers drew the US-Canadian border, they simply bisected the Native American nations living across the border, effectively ending cross-border movement by tribe members. The US government intensified border control and security after the 9/11 attacks.
Owing to the enduring threat of terrorists, illegal immigrants, and criminals crossing the US-Canadian border, the US government has intensified border control to strengthen national security: what was once the “longest undefended border” is now patrolled by federal, state, and local agencies. The Tuscarora Nation has been severely impacted by the imposed borders since cross-border interactions between members of the Tuscarora Nation are no longer possible. For instance, not only are customs and goods controlled when crossing the US-Canadian border but the movement of people is severely restricted. Crossing the border depends on citizenship as well as ethnicity: only those who classify as “Native” under Canadian and American law are allowed passage. The human aspect of cross-border interactions between members of the Tuscarora Nation is often ignored since the level of cultural permeability relies on citizenship. For many Native Americans who do not strictly classify as “Native” under Canadian and American law, interacting with other tribe members on the other side of the border is near impossible.
The US-Canadian border is therefore a cultural barrier more than a bridge since members of the Tuscarora Nation cannot rebuild kinship or even cultural links. Border nations situated across the northern border also demonstrate a negative borderland-culture. Members of the border nation have more in common with their tribespeople on the other side of the border than with American citizens. Just like other American Indian tribes spread across the country, the Tuscarora Nation find themselves on the margins of American society. The borderlands of the Native American group are culturally isolated from the mainstream white culture: members of the Tuscarora Nation struggle with their multicultural identities as indigenous peoples and Americans. Moreover, the borderland society is subject to opposing socialization processes, which unlike the mainstream white culture, takes place in a sophisticated, political, and social setting. Members of the Tuscarora Nation encounter dynamic enculturation forces absent within culturally similar American societies. For instance, the community situated on the American side of the line experiences violence within the broader Tuscarora Nation and particularly within the dominant white culture and its institutions.
The bisection of the Native American has severely impeded kinship and cultural ties between tribespeople situated on both sides of the border. Moreover, the community is the victim of discrimination in the US and members of the Tuscarora Nation experience marginalization across multiple domains of their lives. The marginalization of the American Indian group is systemic and there are major disparities between the tribe and their counterparts politically and economically. For instance, the American Indian nation is marked by poor health outcomes, high unemployment rates, and disproportionate poverty rates compared to the broader US soc...